Soldato
There seems to be a whole host of threads being made recently regarding home networking, from the difference between cables, to which routers, switches and access points to use to home working set-ups.
My aim is to cover off as much as possible in one master thread and to hopefully answer some of the most repeating questions and provide a home for questions to be answered.
As a friendly reminder, please ensure that no competitor links or hinting is engaged in within the thread.
Your average router from an ISP will consist of the Router, Wireless Access Point and Network Switch all in one, most times it will also perform the function of a Modem too (more about that later).
For the average user this router will be absolutely fine, however, the more you poke around and wish to develop your network, the more this will hold you back.
ADSL - This is what most of the UK are supplied with as a bear minimum, this technology is quite old and is usually provided using the Openreach Copper Telephone line to your property. It has a rough max of 24Mbit/s download.
VDSL – The direct successor to ADSL is VDSL, in the UK this is primarily delivered using Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technologies, the clue is in the name here, from BT's Exchange a fibre cable is ran to your local green cabinet, and the copper telephone line from here is ran to your home. This can offer much greater speeds of 80Mbit/s download.
G.Fast - This uses similar technology to VDSL but it's boosted. If your local cabinet has a G.Fast Pod attached to the side and you live within 300m of the cabinet, then you can sign up for G.Fast from BT, Sky, TalkTalk, EE, and Zen. Your line in the local cabinet has the frequency power boosted in the pod which sends a higher powered signal down the remaining copper line to your house which will offer speeds between 100Mbps and 300Mbps. A new master socket faceplate is required in your premises that Openreach will fit.
FTTP – A bit of a new kid on the block, Fibre-to-the-Property is much like FTTC, only the fibre now comes all the way to the property, this is more common in new build properties however companies such as CityFibre are now rolling this out to towns and cities alongside smaller organisations such as B4RN deploying in more rural areas.
3G/4G & 5G – At the time of writing, the installation of 5G technologies is well underway, much like the SIM card in your mobile phone, a specialist router is procured and a SIM card inserted, this then connects to the local mast and you're provided with internet. The throughput massively depends on a huge amount of factors.
Cable – Championed by Virgin Media, this uses coaxial cable ran to your home from the local cabinet to provide you with an internet connection, often the same cable delivers a TV signal to your property, it's speed in the domestic area is comparable to FTTP.
Sadly however, depending on where you live you have different options available to you, an easy way to check this is using Sam Knows broadband checker (https://availability.samknows.com/broadband/broadband_checker). Put in your postcode and it will show what is available to you, however, this isn't always the most accurate so make sure you check on the providers website.
As a hard and fast rule, wired networking is always preferable, however that's not to say that wireless hasn't come on massively in the past few years. Badass has a very old thread on Wi-Fi which still has some good points still in it and is worth a read HERE.
Installing Network Cabling
Installing network cabling is the most reliable way to distribute the network around your home, however this includes it's own challenges, such as how to route the cables, which cable to install, where to run them to and from and how they all connect up.
However, it is a mammoth subject in itself and therefore I have created a dedicated post which you can find here.
What about powerline adaptors?
Powerline adaptors are an 'alternative' to installing network cabling, it plugs in to a standard electrical outlet and uses the electrical cabling to carry the network signal.
Some powerline adaptors offer Wi-Fi boosting and power pass-through however these are a far from ideal solution, they simply work for some people or don't for others. They potentially offer a less stable connection than a wireless connection.
The reason they work for some and not for others is because each homes electrical wiring is different, if your sockets are on different circuits this will introduce a lot of noise and signal loss, furthermore the grade/quality of electrical cabling and even the current demand on that circuit are other factors that can affect the quality of the signal.
I would strongly recommend an alternative solution is pursued, especially if you plan to game.
Wireless Networking
Wi-Fi (802.11) has taken off massively in the past few years, this is because it is incredibly user friendly, there are no wires. These days even gaming motherboards ship with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities.
Wireless Networking is a huge subject in itself, it never used to be stable enough for gaming however with recent developments the latency experienced whilst using wireless has become hugely more manageable, however, this is reliant on having a good wireless network.
The average household uses the wireless signal emitted by their home ISP provided router, dependant on its location this can have a massive impact on the experience provided.
If you experience issues with your wireless signal I would recommend ensuring it has as much of a clear site as possible, this means not burying it behind boxes/walls and the sorts.
If you live in an older property, you are likely to encounter more issues with signal coverage and therefore I would recommend you look into the installation of a dedicated or multiple access points.
Please see the network cabling and hardware recommendation post for further info.
I have an old router, can I use this as a Wireless Access Point?
It's possible, depending on the model of router you can turn it into a simple wireless access point, this is going to be massively dependant on the router however, it is also prudent to add that it may not provide the most optimal coverage or be the best solution.
I have network cabling already in my home?
Some newer properties have network cabling installed by the building developer, however, it is important to understand a multitude of different possibilities.
Firstly, is this designed to distribute your network? If so, it will likely all run back to a central location, whether this be under the stairs, in a dedicated plant room or in your loft.
If you can't find it in a central location then it is possible this is a telephone distribution system, extensions to your BT Master Socket.
These are installed to allow for you to chose where to place your router, this can be especially useful if you have wireless coverage issues however often enough building developers actually use Category 5e or Category 6 network cable to install these extensions.
It is possible that you can make use of these sockets if they happen to be in ideal locations, if you're unsure take a couple of photos and post in this thread for support.
Threads Worth a Read:
CCTV: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/spec-me-a-cctv-system.18568132/
Ubiquiti UniFi: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/official-ubiquiti-discussion-thread.18726947/
Wi-Fi: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/baddass-guide-to-wireless-networking-and-faq.17205432/
My aim is to cover off as much as possible in one master thread and to hopefully answer some of the most repeating questions and provide a home for questions to be answered.
As a friendly reminder, please ensure that no competitor links or hinting is engaged in within the thread.
What does a home network usual consist of?
Every home network relies on a router, this will usually be supplied by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and is usually multiple devices combined into one.
Your average router from an ISP will consist of the Router, Wireless Access Point and Network Switch all in one, most times it will also perform the function of a Modem too (more about that later).
For the average user this router will be absolutely fine, however, the more you poke around and wish to develop your network, the more this will hold you back.
WAN Connection Types (Your gateway to the internet)
In the UK we have five primary types of WAN Connection, ADSL, VDSL, FTTP, 3G/4G/5G and Cable.
ADSL - This is what most of the UK are supplied with as a bear minimum, this technology is quite old and is usually provided using the Openreach Copper Telephone line to your property. It has a rough max of 24Mbit/s download.
VDSL – The direct successor to ADSL is VDSL, in the UK this is primarily delivered using Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technologies, the clue is in the name here, from BT's Exchange a fibre cable is ran to your local green cabinet, and the copper telephone line from here is ran to your home. This can offer much greater speeds of 80Mbit/s download.
G.Fast - This uses similar technology to VDSL but it's boosted. If your local cabinet has a G.Fast Pod attached to the side and you live within 300m of the cabinet, then you can sign up for G.Fast from BT, Sky, TalkTalk, EE, and Zen. Your line in the local cabinet has the frequency power boosted in the pod which sends a higher powered signal down the remaining copper line to your house which will offer speeds between 100Mbps and 300Mbps. A new master socket faceplate is required in your premises that Openreach will fit.
FTTP – A bit of a new kid on the block, Fibre-to-the-Property is much like FTTC, only the fibre now comes all the way to the property, this is more common in new build properties however companies such as CityFibre are now rolling this out to towns and cities alongside smaller organisations such as B4RN deploying in more rural areas.
3G/4G & 5G – At the time of writing, the installation of 5G technologies is well underway, much like the SIM card in your mobile phone, a specialist router is procured and a SIM card inserted, this then connects to the local mast and you're provided with internet. The throughput massively depends on a huge amount of factors.
Cable – Championed by Virgin Media, this uses coaxial cable ran to your home from the local cabinet to provide you with an internet connection, often the same cable delivers a TV signal to your property, it's speed in the domestic area is comparable to FTTP.
Sadly however, depending on where you live you have different options available to you, an easy way to check this is using Sam Knows broadband checker (https://availability.samknows.com/broadband/broadband_checker). Put in your postcode and it will show what is available to you, however, this isn't always the most accurate so make sure you check on the providers website.
Distributing the Network
So now you have the internet connection, there are two primary ways to use it, Wireless & Wired.
As a hard and fast rule, wired networking is always preferable, however that's not to say that wireless hasn't come on massively in the past few years. Badass has a very old thread on Wi-Fi which still has some good points still in it and is worth a read HERE.
Installing Network Cabling
Installing network cabling is the most reliable way to distribute the network around your home, however this includes it's own challenges, such as how to route the cables, which cable to install, where to run them to and from and how they all connect up.
However, it is a mammoth subject in itself and therefore I have created a dedicated post which you can find here.
What about powerline adaptors?
Powerline adaptors are an 'alternative' to installing network cabling, it plugs in to a standard electrical outlet and uses the electrical cabling to carry the network signal.
Some powerline adaptors offer Wi-Fi boosting and power pass-through however these are a far from ideal solution, they simply work for some people or don't for others. They potentially offer a less stable connection than a wireless connection.
The reason they work for some and not for others is because each homes electrical wiring is different, if your sockets are on different circuits this will introduce a lot of noise and signal loss, furthermore the grade/quality of electrical cabling and even the current demand on that circuit are other factors that can affect the quality of the signal.
I would strongly recommend an alternative solution is pursued, especially if you plan to game.
Wireless Networking
Wi-Fi (802.11) has taken off massively in the past few years, this is because it is incredibly user friendly, there are no wires. These days even gaming motherboards ship with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities.
Wireless Networking is a huge subject in itself, it never used to be stable enough for gaming however with recent developments the latency experienced whilst using wireless has become hugely more manageable, however, this is reliant on having a good wireless network.
The average household uses the wireless signal emitted by their home ISP provided router, dependant on its location this can have a massive impact on the experience provided.
If you experience issues with your wireless signal I would recommend ensuring it has as much of a clear site as possible, this means not burying it behind boxes/walls and the sorts.
If you live in an older property, you are likely to encounter more issues with signal coverage and therefore I would recommend you look into the installation of a dedicated or multiple access points.
Please see the network cabling and hardware recommendation post for further info.
I have an old router, can I use this as a Wireless Access Point?
It's possible, depending on the model of router you can turn it into a simple wireless access point, this is going to be massively dependant on the router however, it is also prudent to add that it may not provide the most optimal coverage or be the best solution.
I have network cabling already in my home?
Some newer properties have network cabling installed by the building developer, however, it is important to understand a multitude of different possibilities.
Firstly, is this designed to distribute your network? If so, it will likely all run back to a central location, whether this be under the stairs, in a dedicated plant room or in your loft.
If you can't find it in a central location then it is possible this is a telephone distribution system, extensions to your BT Master Socket.
These are installed to allow for you to chose where to place your router, this can be especially useful if you have wireless coverage issues however often enough building developers actually use Category 5e or Category 6 network cable to install these extensions.
It is possible that you can make use of these sockets if they happen to be in ideal locations, if you're unsure take a couple of photos and post in this thread for support.
Threads Worth a Read:
CCTV: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/spec-me-a-cctv-system.18568132/
Ubiquiti UniFi: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/official-ubiquiti-discussion-thread.18726947/
Wi-Fi: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/baddass-guide-to-wireless-networking-and-faq.17205432/
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